Struggling middle-school students would be required to take three hours of additional instruction in basic subjects such as math and English under a plan unveiled yesterday by state Education Commissioner Richard Mills.
To make additional time available during the school day, Mills would slash the amount of time allotted for courses all students take in areas such as technology education and “home and career skills.”
The Board of Regents will review the plan today.
The bottom line: The dreadful performance among middle-school students on standardized English and math exams warrants spending more time on the basics, education officials said.
In New York City, two-thirds of public school eighth-graders flunked the state math and reading exams last year.
Deputy Education Commissioner James Kadamus said the additional three hours could be used by better-performing students to take high-school courses and/or “youth development” classes covering “leadership, character education and service learning.”
Hours dedicated to technology education would be slashed in half, while time devoted to home and career skills would be trimmed by 25 percent.